Reigning NFL rushing champion and Las Vegas Raiders star Josh Jacobs continues to be a hold out from training camp.
The two sides spent all offseason negotiating a new contract after Vegas placed the franchise tag on the former first-round pick during the spring. Nothing came to fruition on that end, leading to Jacobs holding out after the deadline for an extension passed.
According to CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Raiders are now open to restarting contract talks with Jacobs as the preseason gets going around the league.
As noted above, the deadline for Jacobs to sign an extension has passed. This doesn’t mean that the Raiders can’t offer him a one-year contract worth more than the $10.09 million salary he’s slated to play under in 2023.
A similar situation occurred after Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants failed to come to terms on an extension. Also set to play under the franchise value of $10.09 million, Barkley inked a one-year, $11 million contract with New York. At that time, it was reported that Jacobs had turned down $12 million in 2023 from the Raiders.
A first-round pick out of Alabama back in 2019, Jacobs is coming off a career-best performance that saw him lead the NFL in rushing yards, touches and total yards.
Josh Jacobs stats (2022): 1,653 rushing yards, 4.9 average, 53 receptions, 400 yards, 2,053 total yards
At issue here is the continued devaluation of running backs in today’s NFL. It’s something that came to the forefront surrounding Jacobs and Barkley. More recently, Jonathan Taylor’s trade request from the Indianapolis Colts after comments from owner Jim Irsay has put this in the front burner again.
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Las Vegas Raiders, Josh Jacobs situation
Vegas is set to rely on injury-plagued quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback after moving off Derek Carr this past offseason. Having Jacobs in the backfield would only help Garoppolo make that transition.
As for the Raiders, they’ve said all of the right things publicly relating to Jacobs.
“I’ve said it multiple times this spring, I respect him tremendously. I have a great deal of respect for him as a player and a person. What he did for our team last year — and I look forward to seeing him whenever he is here. And I respect that process too. It’s his decision to make. They all have to do what they think is best for them.”
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels
As the negotiating process played out behind the scenes leading up to the deadline last month, Jacobs was in his car with teammate Maxx Crosby outside the Raiders’ practice facility. At that point, he expected to ink a long-term contract with Vegas. Obviously, that never came to fruition.
Whether the Raiders and Jacobs can solve this stalemate remains to be seen. Either way, it’s not going to be anything more than a one-year fix with the Pro Bowler hitting free agency next March.